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Author:

“Frank Mundo is a full-time writer in Los Angeles. He has a BA in English from UCLA, where he also completed the Creative Writing Program. His stories, poetry, and essays have appeared in dozens of journals, magazines and anthologies in print and online... Mundo is the author of the award-winning novel in verse, The Brubury Tales (foreword by bestselling author and critic Carolyn See), a modern version of The Canterbury Tales, set in Los Angeles; and Gary, the Four-Eyed Fairy and Other Stories, an interconnected collection of his very best short stories published over the last 15 years.”

Description:

“One morning 12-year-old Gregory Gourde wakes up in his bed with an impossible new feature: his head has become a watermelon. We follow Gregory down a rabbit hole of sorts to a new world and an audacious exploration of what it really means to be different in this dark yet humorous nod to Kafka's Metamorphosis and Carroll's Alice in Wonderland.”

Appraisal:

Gregory Gourde certainly does take a trip down the rabbit hole in this dark fantasy; I felt like he was skating on the edge of madness for most of this story. Surely this is not what it is like for most boys going through puberty. But the author’s prose had me convinced that it had been for him. Frank Mundo does not just throw words at the page in hopes that they stick. There is much thought put into the words he chooses and this story will leave you thinking about it long after you have finished the story. This is the sign of a true wordsmith.

The story is told through Gregory's eyes with an omniscient narrator who pops in occasionally to move the story along or fill in past events of Gregory's life or other characters that played an important role. This is masterfully handled by the author and gave me a chance to let things soak in. Gregory is desperately seeking sanity and consistency despite his dysfunctional family. He is a smart kid and until he embraces and accepts himself for who he really is things go awry. Especially when he is told he does not belong in this alternate reality.

This was not an easy read for me, I tend to get too involved with the characters in the stories I read. So when things do not go well for the characters I have invested in I feel their pain. That is why I try to stick with fantasy. Gregory's problems are realistic, the manifestation of his problems are fantasy but certainly real in his mind.

The characters are beautifully written and darkly wonderful in their own way. The plot moves at a nice pace throughout the book. This is a fantastic journey of self-discovery, and I am glad I survived the trip as well as Gregory.

FYI:

Adult language and content. Not for children.

The artwork included in this story is excellent, it adds a dimension not usually found in books. I read this on my Paperwhite and the images came across beautifully.

“West of
Independence is the story of two brothers on distinct but inseparable journeys.
Raised in a large Mormon family, the brothers find themselves at odds with
their upbringing; Jared because he is gay, Matthew because he is too much like
his father. As Jared fights to find happiness in a lifestyle he was raised to
detest, Matthew struggles to become the man he wants to be without losing his
faith. Overwhelmed by sadness, Jared decides to end his life by driving over
the edge of the Grand Canyon. He makes it all the way from New Hampshire to
Independence, Missouri, where his trip ends with a suicide attempt in a lonely
motel room. Several months later, Matthew and Connor (their youngest brother)
set out to complete Jared's trip to the Grand Canyon with him. Heading West
from Independence, they pick cotton, take a walk on Mars, chase windmills, and
meet a plastic eating cow, while at the same time repairing a relationship that
has suffered from Matthew’s self-righteous attitude. West of Independence is an
affecting tale of family conflict, the need to be loved, and the capacity for
change.”

Appraisal:

Unfortunately,
many people from a Mormon family (or, to be fair, families raised in many other
conservative religions) that include a gay or lesbian sibling are going to
recognize many elements of Matthew Deane’s story. Those who don’t either have
families much more enlighted than the norm, or aren’t being honest with
themselves.

Deane’s story is well told and realistic (just
because a story is true, doesn’t always mean it rings true). As I was thinking
about the kind of reader who would benefit from reading West of Independence I realized that the appeal might be
broader than I first thought. Many memoir readers choose to read stories from
people unlike themselves to better understand views, thought processes, and
experiences that are foreign to their world. Most people who fit this category
would find this an interesting read. However, this story should especially
appeal to anyone who has already been through a struggle like Deane’s (knowing
you aren’t alone is always a positive). Those who need to go through the
transformation that Deane experienced, but haven’t, might be the least likely
to give this book a chance, but are the group who could benefit from it most of
all.

Lee is a
squaddie home on leave. He’s looking forward to some R&R with his
girlfriend before going back to war. The trouble is he lives on the Longcroft
Estate and trouble is never far away. A new gang, the Headhunters, appears and
start causing trouble that inevitably pulls Lee into situations he thought he’d
left long behind.

Appraisal:

This is the
fourth Darren Sant story I’ve reviewed and the third located on the fictional
Longcroft Estate. I have to say it’s the best of his work so far. It’s gritty
yet humorous, deep yet to the point with a strata of corruption and crime right
through it. Sant intelligently begins outlining several story arcs that come
together at the conclusion with devastating effect.

New houses
are being built on the down-at-heel Longcroft Estate, unfortunately the
decision to do so is based on two people’s drive for personal gain – a
businessman and a politician – an all too familiar theme these days.

At the same
time Lee, the squaddie, is enjoying some time with his girlfriend Natalie. But
all is not as idyllic as it seems in their relationship. She’s involved with
someone that’s key to the story, but the author keeps this under wraps until
much later.

In the
third arc a new gang, the Headhunters, are making themselves known on the
Estate, challenging the old order. There are established routes of trade (in
drugs) and ‘law and order’ (dealt with by the crime family that run the area)
but the Headhunters disturb these deliberately, kicking off a war.

Lee is
determined not to get pulled away from the straight and narrow again, but when
one of his friends is assaulted in a targeted attack he can’t help himself.

As the
novella progresses Sant then draws these strands together bit by bit until
right at the end they come together. The conclusion is bloody and sad, but
fitting.

I
thoroughly enjoyed Shattered Hearts…
it’s very well written. Sant keeps descriptions down to a minimum, allowing the
reader to fill the blanks in (an approach I like) and keeping the focus on the
character, action and dialogue. The story skips along as a result. It’s
thoroughly enjoyable.

If you’ve
liked any of Sant’s previous work, I highly recommend this too.

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Author:

“Pete [Sortwell] is 32 and lives with his wife, Lucie,
and their pet sofa, Jeff.

He's been writing for just under three years and
they've been pretty eventful; well, more eventful than he thought sitting on
Jeff, typing, would be, anyway. First published in the Radgepacket anthology...
Pete's now featured in a total of ten different anthologies and has been
amongst some very fine company... 'Dating in the Dark' is Pete's first
self-published novel. His traditionally published novel, So Low, So High,
was published by Caffeine Nights in June 2013.”

“Jason is single and has been for all of his 32 years.
It's depressing... With little interest in anything other than his quest for a
woman and a nice bit of cod and chips, Jason needs to think outside the box if
he's going to find someone who'll give him a chance. Along with Barry -- his
best mate -- Jason comes up with the only thing he thinks will work: dating a
blind woman... With everything to play for, Jason faces the biggest challenge
of his life, and nobody -- especially not him -- can see how it'll all turn
out.”

Appraisal:

Jason Harding was raised in a dysfunctional family and suffers from
every imaginable symptom this entails. He has low self-esteem, a poor
self-image, he is a jerk, and lies way too easily. I had a hard time liking his
character, he was shallow, egotistical, and blamed his problems on everyone but
himself. He was a wanker! He was leading a sad life and some of his dating
experiences were so pitiful you had to laugh.

Jason only wants one thing, well two things really... a girlfriend and
plenty of cod and chips. The problem is, he is not willing to invest anything
to have a relationship. His main goal is a date that leads to sex, after the
cod and chips of course. This story is told through Jason so we get to see just
how genuinely dysfunctional he is. We are introduced to his ill mother and his neglect
of her as well as his on again off again best friend, Barry, who has a lot of
issues of his own that need to be dealt with also.

When Jason thinks outside the box and decides to try to get a date
with a blind girl the story takes off and his troubles multiply as his lies get
bigger. Every situation Jason gets involved with is taken to the extreme and we are
shown how ugly he is from the inside-out. Although the author infuses it with
caveman/guy type humor. This is, in essence, a romance written by a guy for
guys.

The story takes some unexpected
twists and turns that eventually make Jason take a long hard look at himself.
Which is something that should have happened ages ago. It is only when Jason
hits rock bottom and the only way left to go is up that changes start taking
place. Jason is forced to reassess his reality and luckily for him Emma is a
forgiving soul. It will be interesting to see if Jason is able to change the
way he sees the world and relates with others in the sequel.

FYI:

This story contains adult language and British slang. Also, uses UK
spelling conventions.

Friday, December 27, 2013

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Author:

K.S. Brooks
has written numerous books in multiple genres including romantic suspense,
satire, and educationally oriented children’s books. She is co-administrator of
Indies Unlimited (a multi-author blog “celebrating independent authors”), where
you can often catch her pontificating on matters of interest to both readers
and authors.

“Former
Special Agent Kathrin Night is not adjusting to civilian life. More than a year
after her career-ending injury, she still can’t get the hang of it. This is
wearing thin on her lover, Russian FSB Agent Aleksey Khovechkin, who tricks
Kathrin into seeing a psychiatrist specializing in post-military/espionage
patients.

The therapy
doesn’t go exactly as Aleksey hopes, but before he can react, Russia recalls
him to make him an offer he can’t refuse. Before his departure, Aleksey reveals
his deepest, darkest secret to Kathrin. Had he, in fact, used her to escape his
duties in Russia, or was his allegiance to her?

Determined
to see justice served, Kathrin hatches a scheme to help Aleksey while at the
same time reviving her career in espionage. The Vancouver Winter Olympics could
be the perfect venue for her plan, but can she pull it off without destroying
their relationship, causing an international incident, or getting either of
them killed?”

Appraisal:

As with the
last book in this series, Kiss of Night,
this book is character driven more than the typical story in this genre.
However, the action, adventure, and intensity are jacked up, as you’d expect
from an action-adventure or thriller. Much of what leads to that action is
driven by Night’s desire to find a way for her and Aleksey to work together in
a way that will satisfy the desires and needs of both.

Night Undone not only satisfied my need for a
vicarious adrenalin rush, but left me wanting more to see where Night and
Aleksey’s relationship goes next. Brooks has a history of long waits between
books in this series. Hopefully, I won’t be waiting too long.

FYI:

Some adult
language and situations.

This is the
third book featuring Kathrin Night. The first of these, Lust For Danger, I haven’t read and don’t feel this is required to
get the most out of this book. However, the second book, a novelette called The Kiss of Night, has a lot of Night’s
history as well as establishing much of the backstory for this book. Although
this could possibly be read as a standalone, I’d recommend reading The Kiss of Night first.

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Author:

K.S. Brooks
has written numerous books in multiple genres including romantic suspense,
satire, and educationally oriented children’s books. She is co-administrator of
Indies Unlimited (a multi-author blog “celebrating independent authors”), where
you can often catch her pontificating on matters of interest to both readers
and authors.

“The
world's top anti-terrorist agent has a new mission: dealing with being forced
into early retirement by a debilitating injury. Former Special Agent Kathrin
Night fights the demons of her past, present and future while dealing with her
new mysterious Russian bodyguard, Agent Aleksey Khovechkin. Sent compliments of
the Russian Minister of Defense, refusing his services is not an option. But is
Aleksey's true mission to protect her, or does he have another agenda?”

Appraisal:

Kiss of
Night is a different
kind of book. It is a little bit action-adventure, primarily because of
flashbacks the protagonist, Kathrin Night, has about her time as a special
agent working for and with multiple intelligence agencies. It also has many
aspects of the thriller or suspense novel, primarily due to Night’s concern
that she has enemies who are trying to track her down and possibly kill her.
However, the real story here isn’t whatever action happens or intrigue Night
experiences, but the struggles she’s going through as a person. This novelette
is transitional as Night tries to figure out the answers she has to questions
regarding her future. Will the injuries she sustained on her last case which
forced her into retirement prevent her from ever returning to the kind of work
she knows and loves? Is she capable of living (more or less) like a normal
person? Does she even understand how a normal person lives?

So unlike a
typical story in this genre neighborhood, Kiss
of Night is much more
driven by, and focused on, the characters than the plot and action. This is
different in a way I enjoyed and sets the series up nicely for the next
installment, Night
Undone, where the
action and intrigue intensify, but Kathrin’s personal struggles continue.

FYI:

Some adult language
and situations.)

There is a
prior book featuring Kathrin Night (Lust
For Danger). However,
enough of Agent Night’s history and backstory is included in this book that it
can reasonably be read as a standalone.

Thursday, December 26, 2013

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Author:

Grace Wen writes women's fiction and romance. She finds people
fascinating and loves to ask her characters nosy questions to avoid being a
real-life busybody. An Imperfect Wife,
her debut women's fiction novella, won the runner-up spot for Love Romances
Cafe's 2011 Best Contemporary Book.

Grace lives in southeastern Michigan with two neurotic but cute
cats. When she's not writing, she's usually reading, cooking, or training for
her next half marathon

Description:

Nicole and
Josh met at college in Troy, NY. They fell in love and got married and lived the
Troy small-town life for fifteen years. After a long period of unemployment,
Josh lands a high-powered job, but it means moving away from their friends and
families. Nicole decides to be a supportive wife and gives up her career.
However, living as an overly ambitious executive’s wife in suburbia is tougher
than she imagined.

Appraisal:

The writing
is tight, the pacing fast, even though there’s not a lot of action as would be
expected with this genre. Nicole struggles when she is relegated by Josh’s
obsessive work ethic to the second most important thing in his life. These
challenges are reflective, I think, of many real world situations. She is tempted
by Josh’s handsome boss, more because he pays attention to her than because of
his looks. Although he is pretty dishy. :)

Much of the
story is spent inside Nicole’s head as the author examines the conflict between
her duty and obligations as a wife, and her yearning for attention and love. I
thought the author handled this well, although I wouldn’t have complained if
there’d been a bit more depth to the characters. I did feel I was told a lot of
how they felt, and there was plenty of room for showing their conflicts. The
outcome was realistic rather than a happily-ever-after fairy-tale (as would be
expected in a romance).

I’ve read a
few novels in the genre, and I do struggle somewhat with the incessant circling
thoughts that flood the female lead’s mind. I couldn’t remain sane if I was bombarded
with that much self-doubt. That’s not a criticism. It’s expected in Women’s
Fiction, and it’s natural that I struggle to empathize fully. To paraphrase
Tammy Wynette, “After all I’m just a man.”

The author of each of these books has indicated their intent to schedule these books for a free day for the Kindle versions today on Amazon. Sometimes plans change or mistakes happen, so be sure to verify the price before hitting that "buy me" button.

Wednesday, December 25, 2013

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Author:

Ryan Bracha
started out in film, writing and directing his first feature. He wrote the
follow up whilst living in Paris. More recently the author turned to novels and
novellas. His debut, Strangers Are Just
Friends You Haven’t Killed Yet, was three years in the making. He lives in
Yorkshire with his wife and a cat.

Description:

A
collection of eleven stories of varying length, some previously published but
now deleted and reissued in this single volume.

Appraisal:

Ryan Bracha
is like Marmite (a yeast based foodstuff that provokes widely spread reactions
of the taste buds) you’ll either love or hate his work. This collection of
stories aptly portrays the wide range of Bracha’s subject matter and a writing
style that is best termed ambitious and challenging.

Personally
I place myself in the former Marmite camp (both liking Bracha and the yeast
based foodstuff). I’ve previously reviewed Strangers…
and Tomorrow’s Chip Paper. Both
proved unusual and challenging reads. Bogies,
as you can probably tell from the title, is no different. All of the stories
are provocative, most are funny.

The book
opens with Baron Catastrophe and the King
of the Jackals. It comprises two story arcs that subsequently combine - a
first person character who has a powerful OCD tendency and his sandwich man
neighbor, a hard working member of society who makes a simple spelling mistake
on his sign that sets off the whole episode.

The third
installment is The Bad Day. This is
an interesting diversion from the ‘norm’. The author’s stories typically have a
hard Northern seam running through them, but are balanced with a heavy lacing of
humour. Not this one, it's grim from beginning to end. That being said it is
well written and the multiple plot strands are cleverly built and concluded in
such a short space.

Call Me Doctor F*ck Knuckles is previously unpublished. The main
character is meeting his girlfriend’s parents for the first time. He’s working
class, they’re all wealthy, and with a very strange set of behaviours. The
title is the name the prospective father in law insists he be called throughout
dinner. It’s a funny (as in haha) read accompanied with a quite a bit of
wincing.

Written in
the first person Tha Dunt... tracks a
short episode in Fintan's bored life. He had a terrible upbringing, living
constantly on a porn set (his mother the star) and he's now totally skewed by
his experiences. He has no real friends and spends his time trying to entertain
himself. He's a seriously damaged character. Then someone has an idea, pretend
to be a secret millionaire. The trouble is Fintan hates people, has no regard
for them at all, himself included, and he ends up putting the one person close
to him in an embarrassing situation.

The final
story is the longest of them all, The
Banjo String Snapped… It’s a rude and lewd read, the story of a group of
lads on a stag do in Leeds. Full of swearing, drugs, drinking and dodgy
happenings, this is a blast, thoroughly enjoyable but with a lot more to it
than just recounting a particularly dubious drinking session. Seen from
multiple viewpoints it unfolds in an interesting fashion.

Overall the
writing is free and highly engaging, but if you have any sensitivity at all to
plenty of strong language and adult situations then this is not the book for
you - and vice versa. The author deliberately challenges the reader in style,
language and content. If you like a wild ride with the occasional hairpin
corner then Bracha is an author you should seek out.

I think the
best place to finish this review is with the author’s dedication to his wife
which is right at the start of the book ‘For Rebecca, who just wishes I would
write something normal for once.’

Tuesday, December 24, 2013

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Author:

Eddie Stack’s
work has appeared in a number of collections and anthologies. He has also
published a novel, but he specializes in writing short stories and to date
published three collections. He teaches at UC Berkeley, California.

Twelve
short stories recounting the experiences of his native Irish people at home and
abroad.

Appraisal:

This is an
interesting collection of quirky stories where the setting switches between
Ireland and the US. What remains constant are the characters of Irish descent, snapshots
of people’s lives where we drop in and drop out of the action with no preamble.

There are
three very strong aspects to Stack’s writing. There’s the dry sense of humour
that cuts through all the shorts. When the narrative asks for a suspension of disbelief
(e.g. a talking donkey) his writing makes it believable. Second are the
characters, the Irish nature remains strong whatever the setting. Finally is
the dialogue which encompasses both the above points.

None of the
twelve stories are weak, although there are several highlights. In Jackass Blues, a donkey wanders into
town and hangs around, watching television until the owner gets fed up and
wants the donkey gone. It takes refuge in a church but is eventually captured.
Later it seems as if the donkey can talk…

Here’s an
example of the writing from the opening paragraph:

During that slow, dark time between
New Year and Lent, a black ass sauntered into town. Sleek as a seal, it had the
fine features of a thoroughbred and moved gracefully through the streets with a
confidence that its working class brethren lack.

The next
story is Back in the Days of Corncrakes
about a Guinness advert being filmed in a small Irish village. Some locals are
roped in to act, but get drunk on free alcohol. It’s well written and funny.

In the
final story Out of the Blue a couple
from either side of the Atlantic who each believed the other dead are reunited
after forty years.

This is a
very well written, drily witty collection of short stories that will puzzle you
and entertain you. The snapshot element of some of the stories may leave some
readers wanting to know more, but this is quality writing.

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Author:

“Vera Nazarian is a two-time Nebula Award Nominee,
award-winning artist, and member of Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers of
America, a writer and reader with a penchant for moral fables and stories of
intense wonder, true love, and intricacy.”

Ms. Nazarian “lives in a small town in Vermont, and uses
her Armenian sense of humor and her Russian sense of suffering to bake
conflicted pirozhki and make art.” The
second book in her Cobweb Trilogy, Cobweb Empire, is available now and Cobweb
Forest will be released this December. To learn more about Ms. Nazarian
check out her website.

Description:

“Many are called... She alone can save the world and become Death's bride. Cobweb Bride is a history-flavored fantasy novel with romantic elements of the Persephone myth, about Death's ultimatum to the world. In an alternate Renaissance world, somewhere in an imaginary ’pocket’ of Europe called the Kingdom of Lethe, Death comes, in the form of a grim Spaniard, to claim his Bride. Until she is found, in a single time-stopping moment all dying stops. There is no relief for the mortally wounded and the terminally ill.”

Appraisal:

This book and I got off on a rocky start. The premise sounded
intriguing to me so I picked it up. The
problem I had with it was the over description of every tiny detail. I got lost
in all the words, they were good words, well written poetic words. There was
just too much time spent on every detail and my head was swimming with
unnecessary words that didn't move the story forward. Three different kingdoms
in the Imperial Realm are examined in minute detail.

In Lethe, the old Queen lies on her deathbed unable to die. Death
appears and states his plea for his Cobweb Bride to the Prince. The Prince
sends out a decree in search of the Cobweb Bride, all families must send a
daughter of marriageable age to Death's Keep that stands in the Northern
Forest.

On the frozen lake of Merlait to the north there is a battle raging
between the forces of Duke Ian Chidair, known as Hoarfrost, and the armies of
his neighbor, the Duke Vitalio Goraque. From a single moment on all the
causalities become the walking dead, including both Dukes. Hoarfrost is
unwilling to give up his status because he is undead and begins a campaign to
capture the jail the girls who have been ordered to seek Death's Keep in an
attempt to prevent Death from finding his Cobweb bride as a way to keep his
dead self undead.

Death's third stop was a poor dwelling in the
Dukedom of Goraque where a peasant woman lay dying. Percy's grandmother, whose
whole history is given. Persephone is described as a somewhat dull-witted,
slow, sickly anemic, plain, unbecoming, and willful. She becomes our heroine as
she leads a band of girls to Death's Keep. This small band of girls is where
the story finally gets interesting as we follow them on their trek to Death's
Keep. They are joined by her Imperial Highness, the Infanta Claere Liguon, the
princess and Heir to the Realm, who has been murdered by Marquis Vlau Fiomarre.
The Marquis, in a twisted sense of duty, also accompanies Claere in order to
protect her. I found this Stockholm type syndrome to
be quite disturbing as they are becoming quite fond of each other.

Here is an example of one sentence that shows the author’s writing
style and the relationship developing between the living Vlau and the dead
Claere.

And now, here he was, and here she was, and it
seemed at rather odd moments that the carriage was closing in on him, on her,
and they were sharply aware of one another again, relieving that moment of
greatest closeness and intensity, the stroke of death, the drawing of life that
bound them together.

Hmmm, I seem to have captured a typo here also. I do believe the word
“relieving” is meant to be “reliving”. There are a small number of proofing
errors that didn't detract from the story overall. What was aggravating was the
loose story ends that were not addressed. I can only suppose that they will be
picked up and explained later in the trilogy, but with as much jumping around
as there is in this book why even bring them up at this point at all?

My assessment is that as the author became more comfortable with her
story the writing improved. I think much of the set-up could have been handled
in flashbacks and improved the flow of the story. Ms. Nazarian also took an
interesting aspect of death to the extreme by including crops and livestock in
her no-death scheme. As the stores of past harvests were depleted the newest
grains became tasteless and the meat from the livestock never died or cooked
properly. It was all rather chilling to read.

What will be interesting now is to see how our heroine Percy, who
develops a strange connection with Death himself after reaching the Keep, goes
about finding the true Cobweb Bride. It seems that Death can't see her because
she contains a piece of him, however, Percy will be able to. Out of her small
group she is the only one who could actually see Death and communicate with
him. She is not the incompetent that her family saw her as. She has caught the
eye of Beltain, the son of the Duke known as Hoarfrost. The quest for the
Cobweb Bride is now on with Percy leading the way and Beltain at her side.

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